Homemade Holiday Gift Baskets

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Holiday stress? No thanks…

I’ll never forget the look on my mom’s face the year I told her we were “skipping Christmas.” Matt and I just couldn’t handle our regular 4 Christmas celebrations that year so we just stayed home and had our own. Since then I’ve learned to overcome holiday stress by making homemade gifts. Most of our family members agree to skip any adult gift exchanges to focus on the kids, but Matt and I love creating homemade gift baskets for all our parents.

Why give gift baskets?

If you’ve ever been given a basket full of goodies, you know how fun it is to be on the receiving end. Variety is the spice of life, right? Especially if the items in the basket are colorful, well-arranged, and tailored to the recipient’s taste, the basket is bound to be a hit.

It’s convenient to give a basket with a variety of items when you may be unsure of the ONE perfect gift that will delight someone. Your odds of giving something they like are better when giving multiple items.

Putting together a few items in a gift basket can also save you money. If including edible items, make treats using ingredients you have on hand. If you have another talent like sewing, knitting, candle-making, or painting, there may be a small cost involved with materials, but you can still create awesome gifts for cheap.

If you’re making several gift baskets, items can be made in bulk. Then, small amounts of each item can be divided up for each basket. There’s no need to give large quantities of things in a homemade gift basket – consider it a sampling of a few fun things.

If your gift baskets were put together with much love, care, and creativity, friends and family will look forward to getting more in the future. Matt and I have given our parents gift baskets for the past several years, and we frequently get requests for items they would like to see repeated in their baskets for the coming Christmas. (My father-in-law frequently brings me empty containers from past gift baskets for “refills.”)

Guidelines For Assembling Gift Baskets

There are no rules. A gift basket doesn’t have to be in an actual basket. Use the bottom part of a shoe box, covered with pretty paper. Use a large bowl from the dollar store and nestle items in tissue paper to set them off in an appealing way. Use a shallow reusable tote or pretty plastic basket with a large bow tied around the handles. I love giving items in a container that people can actually use again.

Presentation is everything! Well, not everything, but a strategic arrangement can help small ordinary items look more appealing. I always stuff the bottom of my container with repurposed tissue paper, making sure at least the top layer is pretty and colorful. Arrange the basket so that each item can be seen, giving smaller items priority placement toward the front or top.

Sometimes it’s nice to show off individual items by packaging in clear bags or containers. You can wrap colored tulle around small things and gather at the top with a ribbon. Labels can be a cute touch, and will help add a little more personalization to the gifts. We like to give fun names to the items in our gift baskets and attach sticky labels or tie on small paper labels with ribbon or wire garland.

Think about your recipient(s). If they love sweets, include some edible goodies. If they just moved, give something practical they can use in their new home. If the recipient has a stressful lifestyle, put together a spa basket with pampering items. If he/she is a child, fill the basket with kid-friendly items.

Mix-n-Match

Matt and I typically fill gift baskets with whatever fun projects and treats we have enjoyed making, eating, or using during the previous year. We normally choose between 2-4 items for baskets, but do whatever strikes your fancy! Here is a list of possible items to include and ways to show them off:

homemade granola – scooped into a small clear bag or small holiday-themed bucket with lid

Use this list as a starting point for ideas… just remember to be creative and have fun creating your own original baskets.

Exercise your creativity this year

Use this article as encouragement to make personal gifts for loved ones this year. Time spent exercising your creativity is more rewarding than wandering a bunch of stores hoping to find something they will like among the heaps of impersonal, cheap gifts. They’re sure to be touched by the time and thought you put into their personalized gift baskets.

It’s awesome to watch their reactions as they open them!

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About Betsy Jabs

Betsy loves her role as "mad scientist" here at DIY Natural. You can typically find her experimenting with essential oils, taking article photos with her DSLR camera, or concocting new recipes for cleaning and beauty products. Betsy loves laughing out loud, sipping on chai lattes, and finding the best beaches. Connect with Betsy on Facebook, Twitter, and her +Betsy Jabs Google profile.

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DISCLAIMER: Information on DIY Natural™ is not reviewed or endorsed by the FDA and is NOT intended to be substituted for the advice of your health care professional. If you rely solely upon this advice you do so at your own risk. Read full Disclaimer & Disclosure statements here.

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Tiny joys for those who wear eyeglasses – cleaning cloth, box of cleaners that de-fog eyeglasses, small tool kit, eyeglass lanyard, eyeglass case. For those of us who wear eyeglasses, this little kit is worth its weight in gold. For those who don’t wear eyeglasses, perhaps it’s difficult to imagine just how useful and practical is such a gift. Merry Christmas from Thistle Cove Farm

Christmas is a great time for “Wishes” gift basket. Each item in the basket represents something you wish your recipient for the new year. It’s easy to make, it’s not expensive and the big bonus – you can make the same basket for all the people on your list.

You can put scratch off lottery ticket for luck Hershey’s kisses for love CD with relaxing music for a peaceful year Chocolate syringe for health Inspirational book for a year full of inpiration Key chain for new doors that will be opened this year A planter or some seeds for growth and blooming

I made it last year and it was a big hit :0)

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About Matt & Betsy

Matt and Betsy are passionate about living naturally and building a like-minded community focused on the sustainable lifestyle.

DIY Natural is about rediscovering the traditional value of doing things yourself, doing them naturally, and enjoying the benefits. Welcome to the movement! (read more)